I need to rewatch The Color Purple. I wasn't a big fan when I saw it a few years ago while filling in the gaps in my Spielberg filmography, but I just listened to Walker read the audiobook of the novel a few weeks ago and want to give the film another shot.
I do think it's one Spielberg movie where I wouldn't be annoyed at the idea of a remake though.
I am on the spectrum myself, Aspergers-diagnosed (or high functioning as some might call it). My main issue with "Rain Man" as a film is that the Vegas stretch ends up more drawn-out than it should have been (the subplot with Valeria Golino is interesting, but doesn't have a strong enough payoff). I wouldn't have given it the Best Picture Oscar over "The Accidental Tourist", especially when "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" wasn't even invited to that party, but it is one of those films that's more sensitive than its reputation and all the parodies suggest, and in hindsight it's pretty cruel that it and other films around that time like "Forrest Gump" or "Nell" became such easy fodder for funny voices and mockery in the '90s. It's also a shame that autism hasn't broken through much further into mainstream entertainment in the 3 decades since, especially non-savant portrayals. If it had, I think this movie would be better appreciated for what it accomplished, as Steve Silbering did so well in the chapter devoted to it in "Neurotribes". (This is where headcanons come in handy for some of us, as you discussed in the Cronenberg Screen Drafts with regards to "The Fly". Would you like to hear about my feelings on Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and Belle?)
I like "The Color Purple" a lot, and that final shot is up there with that of "E.T." among Spielberg's best closing beats. It is nice that the story has found life in other venues since then by way of the stage musical adaptation that Winfrey and Jones backed, which seems to have a serious cult following.
I need to rewatch The Color Purple. I wasn't a big fan when I saw it a few years ago while filling in the gaps in my Spielberg filmography, but I just listened to Walker read the audiobook of the novel a few weeks ago and want to give the film another shot.
I do think it's one Spielberg movie where I wouldn't be annoyed at the idea of a remake though.
Some very thoughtful takes here!
I am on the spectrum myself, Aspergers-diagnosed (or high functioning as some might call it). My main issue with "Rain Man" as a film is that the Vegas stretch ends up more drawn-out than it should have been (the subplot with Valeria Golino is interesting, but doesn't have a strong enough payoff). I wouldn't have given it the Best Picture Oscar over "The Accidental Tourist", especially when "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" wasn't even invited to that party, but it is one of those films that's more sensitive than its reputation and all the parodies suggest, and in hindsight it's pretty cruel that it and other films around that time like "Forrest Gump" or "Nell" became such easy fodder for funny voices and mockery in the '90s. It's also a shame that autism hasn't broken through much further into mainstream entertainment in the 3 decades since, especially non-savant portrayals. If it had, I think this movie would be better appreciated for what it accomplished, as Steve Silbering did so well in the chapter devoted to it in "Neurotribes". (This is where headcanons come in handy for some of us, as you discussed in the Cronenberg Screen Drafts with regards to "The Fly". Would you like to hear about my feelings on Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and Belle?)
I like "The Color Purple" a lot, and that final shot is up there with that of "E.T." among Spielberg's best closing beats. It is nice that the story has found life in other venues since then by way of the stage musical adaptation that Winfrey and Jones backed, which seems to have a serious cult following.